FACULTY DIVERSITY INITIATIVES AT A HISTORICALLY DIVERSE INSTITUTION: A CRITICAL RACE THEORY ANALYSIS

Abstract

Abstract Diversity in the academy has been a major concern since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. Yet, as the diversity of the student body at many institutions of higher education has grown, the diversity of the faculty has not kept pace. This research study critically examined faculty diversity initiatives at a historically diverse university in the mid-Atlantic United States. Specifically, the study used a qualitative case study design to investigate definitions and goals for faculty diversity, faculty diversity initiatives implemented to achieve these goals, and tenure-track faculty perceptions of these initiatives in one of the University’s largest colleges. The study was conducted using Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality as frameworks to center and interrogate counter stories among faculty and administrators within the college and university. The study found that faculty diversity is defined within the university’s broader goal of inclusive excellence, but perceptions of the clarity and adequacy of the definition differed between tenure-track faculty and university and college administrators. In addition, the study found both tenure track faculty and administrators generally perceived faculty diversity initiatives focused on recruitment and hiring as successful, but also identified the need for greater emphasis on and accountability for retaining faculty of color. Thus, the study’s findings have implications for policies and practices needed to fully actualize the university and college’s commitment to inclusive excellence and social justice. Keywords: diversity; underrepresented minority faculty; inclusion; campus climate; institutional culture; critical race theory; intersectionality